The Landings Issue Dominates at Candidates' Forum

Candidates vying for the open seat on the Winter Haven City Commission seat sparred over The Landings and discussed the need for higher city property tax rates.

By RYAN E. LITTLETHE LEDGER

WINTER HAVEN | Candidates vying for the open seat on the Winter Haven City Commission seat sparred over The Landings and discussed the need for higher city property tax rates at Wednesday's Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce candidates' forum.The five candidates began debating The Landings early on and returned to it enough times that the moderator asked them to move to different issues.The Landings is a $150 million mixed-use development that at one time was set to take over the city-owned Chain of Lakes Complex. That plan has been halted after commissioners terminated all contracts with The Landings. That termination is itself in limbo as the city and the project's financier try to reach an agreement to keep the project alive.All five candidates agreed on one issue: The city failed to plan the project properly.But they went their separate ways from there.Joe Garrison, whose company did The Landings' phase one landscaping, said the project's developers should not be penalized because City Hall didn't do its due diligence."The commission must get more involved in the due diligence of the city and The Landings is a good example," Garrison said. "Whether we agree on how the city handled it or not, it is what it is now. It is a good project."Garrison said the three restaurants in the first phase, Starbucks, Panera Bread and Chick-fil-A, have created 196 jobs and the completed project promises 1,000 jobs.Brad Dantzler, whose brothers are Polk County Commissioner Todd Dantzler and former state Sen. Rick Dantzler, called for a 60-day timeout to allow public input.Dantzler said he is not "against The Landings per se," but is generally against selling city land."My first thought is to not do it, but if we can be persuaded and it really does make a lot of sense, then let's make sure we replace those real assets with other real assets that are going to better and benefit all of the citizens of Winter Haven," he said.Debra Ogzewalla, a longtime critic of the project, said the city needs to keep the Chain of Lakes Complex and the revenues that come with it, like the economic impact of the RussMatt college baseball tournament, currently being played at the complex and Auburndale's Lake Myrtle Sports Park."It is Winter Haven's problem to look forward to what is best for the citizens and the city of Winter Haven, not the developers involved," Ogzewalla said. "I'm sorry if that sounds cold to them, but it's an issue where I feel my loyalties lie with the citizens of Winter Haven ... I think it should have been a vote for the citizens of Winter Haven to decide if they wanted to get rid of their ball fields, their civic center and their theater."Barry Nottle, also a longtime critic of the project, said The Landings is "just another retail ghetto" and was the issue that got him involved in city government.He said the project should be killed because of poor planning at City Hall."We have to strike a balance," Nottle said. "Yes, we want the jobs. Yes, we want the revenue from those jobs, but we also have to be concerned with the people who live in this city and work in the city and play in the city." Philip Van Winkle said giving away the city facilities for "burgers and fast food restaurants" was dumb because that type of development won't draw anything to the area."The past city commissions have made one ridiculous business decision after another," Van Winkle said, citing the end of the Cleveland Indians' time at the Chain of Lakes Stadium and The Landings."(Developing The Landings is) at the expense of developing that property properly, developing it with massive baseball fields that would have attracted tens of thousands of tourists, playing baseball in this community, spending real money and generating way more jobs."Candidates were asked if they would support raising the city's property tax rate and said they wouldn't write it off. Winter Haven has not raised its property tax rate since 2009.Nottle said he would consider raising taxes only because the amount people have been paying has gone down drastically with decreased property values. He said increasing tax rates would likely help the city get out of the $3 million hole it is in. That is the amount the city is using from the expected June sale of land to CSX to cover the current year's operating expenses.All five said the city should not use nonrecurring revenues to cover recurring costs.Van Winkle said he would not want to raise taxes because he is a fiscal conservative and a libertarian, but said it might be worth looking at a temporary increase. He said the city can get by with "what we are dealt with."Ogzewalla said the city should first look at management salaries and pension contributions, which she says are too high, before raising the city's tax rate, but would consider it after "tightening the city's belt."Garrison said "tons of money" could be saved in the city's budget that would prevent the commission from having to raise taxes.Dantzler said he thinks the tax rate could go down over the next five years as new revenues from the CSX rail terminal and the planned surrounding business park begin to fill the city's coffers. But he said he would not say he wouldn't raise tax rates in the short term for fear of "taking a position that ties my hands."Winter Haven voters will elect the new commissioner to Seat 4 in the April 2 special election. The seat was vacated in December by Jamie Beckett when he resigned.Whoever wins the election will serve only for a short time before facing another election in November.Commissioners normally serve four-year terms. They are paid $11,705 per year, including expenses.